Ghassan Zaqtan is a Palestinian poet, novelist and editor. He was born in Beit Jala, near Bethlehem and has lived in Jordan, Beirut, Damascus and Tunis. His book “Like a Straw Bird it Follows me”, translated by Fady Joudah, was awarded the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2013. He was short-listed for the Neustadt International Prize for Literature 2014/University of Oklahoma, perceived as the American Nobel Prize. In recognition of his contribution to Arabic and Palestinian literature, he was awarded the National Medal of Honor by the Palestinian president in 2013. Ghassan’s name appeared on the speculation list for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013. His work has been translated into many other languages.